The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-19


from the summit when he saw an animal bound
ing along over the rocks q quarter of mile be-
low. He said, when he told about his hunt that
evening. that he believed the animal to be an
antelope, and he made for IL without delay Ii
was going in easterly direction. and Peters &C
cordingly changed his course In order to get
ahead of it if possible. He scrambled down the
painless rocks as fast as he could go until he
saw that the antelope had come to a stand-stlll
Ii stood face away from him, perfectly still It
was yet so far distant that Peters did not vent
ure n shot, and he crept cautiously towards it.
He had come within $50 yards, when the
antelope turned slowly about and faced him.
near to conceal him, and, following his
excited impulse, he raised his gun and took
careful aim. The animal gave him ample time
to do this. but the distance was SO great that
Peters was not at all sure of hitting the mark
When he fred he saw the antelope spring into
the air and stagger forward He believed he
had succeeded fully, and started forward at as
fast run as the steep descent would allow. But
the antelope seemed to recover from the shot or
shock, whatever it might be. and set off on a run
also. Peters was excited, and kept up the pur-
suit The antelope ran along the side of hill,
while the hunter ran down. In this way he
really gained somewhat on his prey. and was
soon able to see that he had wounded the ami
NAL. He did not that what made it run
along the side of the hill was the fact that twas
skirting the top of q tremendous precipice-a
sheer descent of bare wall more than thousand
feet from top to bottom. The hills in this vcin-
ity are not so high that vegetation Is scant on
the SUBMITS; it is different from that in the val
l0VS OUT LD1cE enough In Spots WHeTo tue EOsh
has soil enough for the roots to grow. There
was clump of bushes and small trees on the
very edge of the precipice at one point, and 1t
toward this that the antelope was
making. 1t was evidently getting weak from
loss of blood and Peters kept his eyes upon 1t as
he ran, and he noted the clump of bushes and
feared lest his game should get out OF sight in
them. He had almost caught up with the ante
lope when it disappeared among the trees. Pc
ters FASTENED all the more rapidly. and it was
not until he was within rod of the brink that
ha izadf To hat hA VS.
had been watching the game so closely that he
had not seen what otherwise would have been
most evident. 1t gave him something of a
start to that there was a chasm yawning
before him, ana he instinctlvely slackened his
speed. In doing his foot loosened a small
stone, and, tripping on it, he was pitched for
ward at greater impetus that his run had
given him. 1t WAS impossible to Stop. At the
edge of the precipice he grasped wildly at what
seemed to be n bush, and was hurled into it.
He felt it give way beneath his weight, and he
let go his gun and seized the trunk of the busb
tree, with both hands Down he went, it
seemed to him, forty feet or more Then
influence OF its own elasticity. He
hung on for life, and up and down he
swayed as the tree gradually settled into sta
tionary position. He saw that he was mistaken
about the distance through which he had sunk
on his first descent but that failed to cheer him.
The tree was rooted in a shelf of rock about ten
feet below the top of the ledge, and its top
branches coming perhaps the same distance
above the edge, had made it look like bush.
de had hold OF the trunk WITHIN Feet OF the
very top, and could see that his weight made q
tremendous strain upon the tree. II was evil
IDENTIFY an exceedingly supple wood, for 1t bent
down so far that it pointed out from the rock at
almost right angles. All these observations
passed through his mind in the same flash in
which he thought out plan for escape from his
perilous position. Before the strain on his arms
should grow too great he determined to pull
himself up athletes do upon a horizontal bar,
and get astride of the trunk, and then work his
way along the base. He could not do this, how
thA
up and down again, and WEN he had
to throw his leg over the trunk
he found himself in imminent danger of slipping
off. The tree quivered and shook at every mo-
ton, and il occurred to him TO question how
long it would stand the repeated strains before
it would tear away at the roots and send him
his tactics Carefully ne let himself down again
until he was in his original position hanging on
TO the trunk above his head. Then he, with the
greatest difficulty, made his way toward the
roots by q hand process. the chief
obstacles were tho twigs and branches that got
in his way But every nch forward lot the
eventually, when he about half of the way |
toward the roots. it became nearly upright. and |
he was but little below the level of the edge of
he cliff. He reached out to the rock and sue |
eeded in getting hold upon the very edge. By |
his vantage he drew himself from the tree to |
he solid earth again and sank down utterly ex- |
,austed.
He found, of course, that his nerves had been |
badly shocked, and it was q considerable time |
before he recovered sufficient strength to proceed
IN his way. As no regaiped his spirits no felt |
lome curiosity to see what had become of the |
antelope. He went into the thcket, on the edge |
If the elif, and surmissd from the traces of |
blood on the rocks that the animal had become 1
100 exhausted to keep its feet, and had staggered |
md fallen over the precipice. Not far from the
pot he found way to get down. and he made
he descent without difficulty. Then he went
.long tho hill at the bottom of the precipice.
ookipg for his gun. 1t was thick with trees at
he spot directly under the shelf from which he
vxa1 Call H. a1H lad FL
.round over in vain for any trace of his weapon,
,ut, glancing into q tree, he CHANGED to see it
edged in the branches. and saw, not thirty
ards away, an immense panther standing over
he maneled body of his antelope The panther
vas evidently making meal of it, and was now
m the defensive. for the snarl came from anoth-
II beast of the same tribe, who appeared creep
ne forward a few wards distant. In an instant
10Th had crouched, and in another they had
prung upon each other furiously.
md were engaged in death struggle.
'sters watched them excitedly until one had
mt his teeth through the others throat and
TODD victorious and snarling above the bleeding
oe. Whether it was the one which had originally
ecured the antelope. Peters could not decide,
ut it turned to the carcass and began to finish
!. The amateur hunter knew not what to do
lie dared not get down from the tree, as he was
ot sure that his gun was in sound condition. 1t
eemed that he must either wait till the panther
al finished his meal and gone away. which
boot him from the tree If he succeeded il
illing the dangerous fellow he could get down
nd go home in comparative safety. He chose
he latter alternative. The panther was in close
ange and an easy target The gun proved to
9 in good condition. and when the smoke cleared
way Peters saw the panther quivering help
,ssly oyer the body of the antelope.
The hunt, so full of adventure and narrow
scape from violent death, had a most unhappy
squel The exertion proved altogether too
,uch for Peters. He reached the camp not long
fter sundown, weary. faint and nervous. He
I'll at once into q high fever, and before noon
ne following day he died.
In Medic Tutfssimus.